Many B.C. festivals have become far more inclusive in recent years. This is particularly true when it comes to inviting Indigenous and international artists. However, there’s still significant underrepresentation of musical artists of East Asian ancestry. This continues even in Vancouver where the “visible minority” population is actually the majority.
According to Statistics Canada, 354,615 residents of Vancouver were “visible minority” in the 2021 census. That amounted to 53.5 percent of the city’s population of 662,248.
The largest group, “Chinese”, accounted for 168,385, followed by South Asian (44,850) and Filipino (38,605). It’s not as if there’s a shortage of musical artists in these communities. From November 6 to 9, the Jade Music Fest will present many musicians with Chinese ancestry at free showcases at Performance Works and the Annex. The vast majority are multilingual.
The 5X Fest does the same for musical artists of South Asian ancestry each year. This year, the inaugural Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party accomplished this for the Filipino community.
So, how can these communities gain greater representation at music festivals targeting the mainstream? Can festivals draw upon multilingual performers in these local communities to expand their audiences? How can B.C. musicians who sing in Chinese languages make it onto the stage?
These questions will be addressed at a free Jade Music Fest panel discussion at noon on Wednesday (November 6). Entitled Re-Imagine Canadian Music Festivals, it will take place at Performance Works on Granville Island.
Artistic directors of festivals on panel
The speakers include:
- Charlie Wu, general manager of the Society of We Are Canadians Too, which organizes the Jade Music Fest;
- Fiona Black, artistic director of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival;
- Doug Cox, former artistic director of Vancouver Island Musicfest;
- Michelle Demers Shaevitz, artistic and executive director of the Mission Folk Music Festival Society;
- Andy Hillhouse, artistic and executive director of Harrison Festival of the Arts.
The Jade Music Fest presents Re-Imagine Canadian Music Festivals at noon on Wednesday (November 6) at Performance Works on Granville Island. Register for free through Showpass. Follow Pancouver on Twitter @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
